Barbarian (2022)

A woman shows up to an Airbnb only to discover someone else is already there, having booked it through a different site. Because she can't get hold of the rental agency nor can she find another place on short notice, the two decide to share the rental for the night and sort things out in the morning.

I don't want to give anything away, but this was such a surprise. It's a classic "girl, get yourself out of there NOW" movie while also managing to be something completely fresh. If you're looking for something scary, this should do the trick.

B

Hustle (2022)

Stanley -- recently promoted to assistant coach from scout -- is dealt a blow when the owner dies and the team goes to his petulant son. Soon he's back on the road with the assurance that if he finds a winner, his coaching job will be there for him. When he stumbles across a Spanish streetballer with tons of natural ability, he knows he's found the guy to save him from purgatory.

Not only are there lots of fun NBA cameos, Sandler knocks it out of the park here (and if you know my general feelings about him, you know I'd not say that lightly). Yes, it's feel-good to the max, but those feelings felt very much earned. I also appreciated the believable marriage relationship between Sandler & Queen Latifah. 

B

Chloe (2010)

A wife suspects that her husband may be cheating on her. After chatting with escort Chloe in a restaurant bathroom, the wife decides to hire her to do some low-key flirting to see how her husband reacts. Chloe confirms that he took the bait and keeps the wife in the loop about more intimate activities in subsequent meetings. Somehow, the result of all of this is that the wife becomes sexually entangled with Chloe too.

Though there's a lot to like here, the whole thing felt incredibly sordid and cold. I'm not even sure how that was managed. Was it the soundtrack? The obvious distance between each of the family members? The friend who played "spot the hooker" while being over-demonstrative with his date? I don't know but it definitely existed and made me feel pretty icky.

C+

The Vault (2021)

Thom, a genius engineering student about to graduate, is inundated with dozens of job offers. The only one that piques his interest is the one that has a hint of danger and tons of secrecy: a heist of the Bank of Spain's vault. What makes it so intriguing is the fact that no one knows what the vault even is.

Though completely outlandish, it felt somehow so true that I had to look it up to confirm that it's complete fiction. Very fun with a mission-impossible-on-a-budget vibe. My big complaint is that Freddy Highmore barely even registers as a personality. He's so vanilla he's almost a blank.

B-

I Want You Back (2022)

A man and woman -- both recently dumped -- become friends and make plans to sabotage the new relationship of each other's ex. It could've been super-cringey, but the charm and chemistry of the two leads (Jenny Slate & Charlie Day) make it work. They seem more lost than creepy.

That said, I can't imagine it'll stick around in my brain for very long.

B-

Tampopo (1987)

The main story here is of a young mother -- despite being a pretty bad cook -- wanting to make a success out of her ramen shop. Luckily, a truck driver who was just passing through is down to help her. Though we always return to Tampopo (the name of the woman AND the restaurant), several other stories/vignettes focused on food are interspersed throughout.

We must've said "This is so WEIRD" at least two dozen times while watching it. And, though this is absolute fact, it kept us mostly entertained.

C+

The Menu (2022)

A small group of elite diners heads out to an exclusive restaurant only accessible by boat. The fact that one of the patrons is a last-minute substitute seems to weirdly matter to the staff -- all of whom, by the way, live on the island in a kind of dormitory.

So many people told me to watch this and I was not in a hurry to do so. My thought was "obviously I know what the surprise in a horror movie named The Menu is going to be." But, despite my assumptions, I had not seen this before. The story unfolds so deliciously and surprisingly that one should just experience it.

Clever and new.

B+

M3GAN (2022)

A kid is orphaned and goes to live with her toy-inventor aunt. Aunt Gemma is working on a life-sized doll that relies on machine learning to become a best friend to its owner. As creepy as this doll is, there are no surprises at all other than that out-of-nowhere hallway dance. I definitely didn't see that coming.

C-

Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio (2022)

Geppetto's son dies and -- in his drunken grief -- he assembles a messy doll that a benevolent spirit imbues with "life." And it's honestly terrifying. When Pinocchio was learning about the world around him I was struggling to find the fun in it and, instead, just kept thinking "burn that thing."

It's impressive animation, but it's also truly disturbing.

C

Black Box (2020)

After physically recovering from the car accident that took his wife, Nolan is still struggling with amnesia. His young daughter is keeping the house together and constantly reminding him of his duties, but he doesn't seem to be getting better. When contacted about an experimental treatment, he agrees in hopes that it will help.

Very smart and kept me guessing, but not in a frustrated way.

B-

Solace (2016)

Tired detective reaches out to a psychic with whom he's worked in the past for help with a serial killer case, but his uptight partner doesn't think it's a great idea... and neither does the psychic. But, of course, he does come on board and help them solve the thing.

This is a mess. I think there could've been an OK story here (psychic realizes he's chasing someone with the same gift he has), but somehow everything came off as both dumb and sordid, which is one of the worst combinations.

D+

Nobody Knows I'm Here (2020)

When we meet Memo, he is living with his uncle on a remote farm surrounded by a lake. His hobby is to boat to other homes and sneak in while they're away -- making sure that his presence goes undetected, even though he sometimes lifts an item or two. His backstory is only revealed in bits and I really liked the way it was handled: we the viewers made the same assumptions about Memo that those meeting him as an adult would make. I thought "he's shy because of his weight" without thinking there could be some other trauma. 

I enjoyed that the story -- though sensible -- also managed to surprise me. I also appreciated that the love interest was just a regular girl rather than a too-far-out-of-his-league bombshell.

B

Practical Magic (1998)

This movie is so incredibly '90s. Proof: Aiden Quinn was a hunk, Nicole Kidman could barely muster a convincing American accent, and Margo Martindale had only a handful of lines. I can't believe both that 1) I hadn't seen it to this point nor that 2) it's a movie that felt so universally-watched that I should see it.

It's one of those weird movies that straddles genres in a way that simply doesn't make sense. It's a lightweight trifle but it also delves into some truly scary elements making it too silly for grown-ups while also managing to be too frightening for kids. I guess it's a movie for junior high school girls? They might feel like they're watching something edgy... everyone else can safely give it a pass. 

C

Somebody I Used to Know (2023)

Ally, in response to her reality show being cancelled, decides to go back to her hometown to see her mother. She runs into her ex, spends a fun evening with him revisiting old haunts and laughing. Just when she's thinking maybe she made a mistake moving away, she finds out he's getting married in a few days.

This didn't exactly surprise me, but it went its own way, which was refreshing. That said, it did take 30 minutes or so (basically until Danny Pudi shows up) for us to get invested at all. Until that point, the comedy felt too low-key/obvious and we weren't sure if it was worth the while.

B